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    An Ideal Husband
    An Ideal Husband
    An Ideal Husband
    Audiobook1 hour

    An Ideal Husband

    Written by Oscar Wilde

    Narrated by Jacqueline Bisset, Alfred Molina and Full Cast

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    A tender love story, a serpentine villainess, a glittering setting in London society and a shower of Wildean witticisms are only a few of the reasons this play has enjoyed hugely successful revivals in London and New York. This 1895 drama also seems eerily prescient, as it explores the plight of a promising young politician, desperate to hide a secret in his past. With empathy and wit, Wilde explores the pitfalls of holding public figures to higher standards than the rest of us.

    An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Rosalind Ayres, Jacqueline Bisset, Paul Gutrecht, Martin Jarvis, Robert Machray, Miriam Margolyes, Alfred Molina, Jim Norton and Yeardley Smith.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherL.A. Theatre Works
    Release dateOct 1, 2001
    ISBN9781580814607
    Author

    Oscar Wilde

    Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on the 16th October 1854 and died on the 30th November 1900. He was an Irish playwright, poet, and author of numerous short stories and one novel. Known for his biting wit, he became one of the most successful playwrights of the late Victorian era in London, and one of the greatest celebrities of his day. Several of his plays continue to be widely performed, especially The Importance of Being Earnest.

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    Reviews for An Ideal Husband

    4/5

    24 ratings14 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Lord Robert Chiltern is a good and honest man,he is Literal An Ideal Husband.But he conflicts between the love to his wife and the mistake he made when he was young.This book is famous for its play.I chose this book because I like Oscar Wilde's works.The difference of the idea of love of a woman and a man is interesting for me.The feelings of the charactors are clear and I can read more happily.
    • 4/5
      It's the story about the man who is a successful.but, he has a secret .I like this book 's way of write. like a play...maybe it is much more fan for play. anyway i enjyoed reading !
    • 3/5
      He states that a man's life is more valuable than a woman's over and over, i hated Wilde for it!
    • 4/5
      Less absurd than for instance The Importance of Being Earnest, this play nevertheless manages to accumulate an impressive number of Wildean bon mots, whilst at the same time providing food for thought on human imperfection, power and hubris, and the necessary illusions that sustain romantic relationships. "Some Like It Hot" ended with the phrase "Nobody's perfect", whereas An Ideal Husband" starts from that very observation, and then asks how we deal with it.Amidst all the banter, the anguish of a man with an unspeakable secret stands out, a youthful indiscretion that polite society would find an abomination. It is not hard to surmise that Wilde's own fears resonate here. As readers, we know that eventually his (not so secret) secret is dragged before the courts, leading to Wilde being ostracised from the society that he so lovingly mocks in these plays and to his early death. And we smile with the witticisms, but the smiles are bittersweet.
    • 5/5
      Funny, quaint, and surprisingly readable in spite of its advanced age. While I'm sure the play can be performed well, Wilde's specific language and non-dialogue descriptions might not be as beautiful on the stage as it on the page.
    • 4/5
      Another great use of the English language of the times and a great portrayal of the humor and lifestyle of the times, although I suspect the lifestyle has received some literary licence in it's presentation. I don't feel that the story is as well crafted as "The Importance of Being Earnest" but it is entertaining. Here's a piece that I particularly liked that was written for delivery by a spinster in her twenties: "Oh, I love London Society! I think it has immensely improved. It is entirely composed now of beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics. Just what Society should be."
    • 3/5
      I didn't care for this one all that much. I understand the point he was making, but the holier-than-thou wife was totally undeserving of the husband's affections, even if his past was shady.
    • 4/5
      Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people we personally dislike.

      Nietzsche with a buttonhole. This is a mercenary world of ennui and style. There must be a phenomenological link? Wilde notes Wealth is the new object of worship.

      The interior logic of the play is a bit neat for my taste as is the means by which the husband is reprieved. Clasps on bracelets can be annoying, yet they aren't Gordian knots.
    • 5/5
      I think this play is a fantastic example of Oscar Wilde's writing. Even though it deals with the idea of marriage, I think it would be good for a literature class read, to talk about corruption, ideals, expectations, etc. This play is funny, and really well done.
    • 4/5
      Oscar Wilde is a fantastic author. His wit and humor, and how he uses it to make social commentary is superb. I would recommend this play as a fun, light read!
    • 4/5
      This is a very enjoyable, typically Wildean play. There is lots of verbal repartee and some very funny send-ups of convention and manners. It would be an interesting play to see staged now, particularly with some strong actresses to play the lead women parts. I think good acting and interesting direction could make the tension between male and female roles in society quite entertaining. This was the first drama I read through dailylit.com. Since the breaks don't always align with scene/act endings, it takes a bit of getting used to. Once I got accustomed to it, though, it was a pretty (albeit slow) way to read a play.
    • 3/5
      A witty commentary on the double standards which politicians, and people in general, are often expected to live up to. A timeless theme, apparently!
    • 5/5
      Prior to this, I’d read Wilde’s only published novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray and his play A Woman of No Importance - both of which were excellent, and this play lives up to the standard of those. Wilde is simply excellent at social satire, and whilst the subject of the ‘scandal’ in this play seems tame by today’s standards, this does not detract from the enjoyment of it at all. The three works of his that I’ve read so far have all had a pretty amazing twist at the end, showing up the absurdity of some of the upper classes of the time period. Thoroughly recommended and I really want to see this on the stage now!
    • 5/5
      An Ideal Husband is a play of moral values of Victorian England. Lord Robert Chiltern is a honorable, good natured man who is torn between a mistake of his youth and his devotion and love for his wife. Lord Richard gives an interesting view on Oscar Wilde's opinion on the inequalities between the way men and women love. The plot is typical of Oscar Wilde's stye of mixing seriousness with light hearted whit. Fabulous play.